When to start trickle charging?

[AaronPDX]

Hey all. Is there a rule of thumb for how many weeks of non-use before you keep a GV on trickle charge?

[de dee]

  if you do a lot of short runs,  I would charge it once a week, just to keep battery full charge for long life

[AaronPDX]

I usually ride it at least a few miles at a time; is that a short run?
But I'm more concerned with not using it all for a period of time, which i have been recently due to (non motorcycle) injury.

Thanks.

[pipster326]

Even if you can't ride, I would start it and let it run for a few minutes, anyway. I recently went on vacation, for 2 weeks, so I plugged in the trickle charger. A day or 2 of not riding should be fine, but a week or more, I would put a charge on it.

  -Rich


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[PaulF]

If you can get a smart charger they are supreme to just trickle chargers.   You can keep them on for as long as you want and they will never damage your battery.  I used a CTEK Smart charger for years on my camping battery.   CTEK are considered one of the best but there would be other good brands as well.

http://smartercharger.com/products/batterychargers/ctek-us-0-8/

[ScooterLar]

Even though I use all my scooters regularly during riding season, I keep all seven of my scooters on trickle chargers year round. I've been getting 5-7 years life out of my batteries, which I attribute directly to this practice. I use "Schumacher" and "Battery Tender" brand trickle chargers which you can buy at Walmart.

[PaulF]

Scooterlar, they both look like good brands but I would not have called them trickle chargers as they maintain the battery as well so I would say my definition of a trickle charger is wrong.  The trickle charger I use to have would continuously feed a battery even when it reached full charge and could overcharge it not kept a watch on it.   My apologies for that.  That's a great collection of scooters in your list, how many do you have at present.

Paul

[ScooterLar]

Paul, I probably should have called them battery maintainers. I currently own all seven of the scooters in my profile. I also own about two dozen vintage mopeds. I used to own a Burgman 650, Honda Elite 250 and three Honda Elite 80's.

Scooterlar, they both look like good brands but I would not have called them trickle chargers as they maintain the battery as well so I would say my definition of a trickle charger is wrong.  The trickle charger I use to have would continuously feed a battery even when it reached full charge and could overcharge it not kept a watch on it.   My apologies for that.  That's a great collection of scooters in your list, how many do you have at present.

Paul

[AaronPDX]

Thanks all! I will get it plugged in to my trickle charger / battery maintainer!

Ride safe.

[mrbios]

PaulF is right and I would add that the real test is with a multimeter.  If the battery isn't "low" then it does not need to be charged.  Trickle chargers are designed to gradually charge a battery for a few hours to full then be disconnected.  If left connected they will overcharge the battery - the instructions will tell you this.  For your purposes you want a small "maintainer" that is designed to be hooked up for long periods of time and costs a little more.  I wish all scooters, tractors, etc came with one mounted and built in.

Even though I use all my scooters regularly during riding season, I keep all seven of my scooters on trickle chargers year round. I've been getting 5-7 years life out of my batteries, which I attribute directly to this practice. I use "Schumacher" and "Battery Tender" brand trickle chargers which you can buy at Walmart.

[AaronPDX]

FYI, I've been using the Cen-Tech 61911 'deluxe' battery maintainer / float charger, $20 at Harbor Freight:

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-volt-deluxe-battery-maintainer-and-float-charger-62813.html

[Forefronts]

I keep mine on trickle charge all year round.
It is a 2005, and I have had no battery problems, Still the original.

[mrbios]

I keep mine on trickle charge all year round.
It is a 2005, and I have had no battery problems, Still the original.

"maintenance charge" not "trickle charge"- if it was on trickle charge the battery would boil its acid out.

How many miles on your scoot and do you live in a warm or cold climate